As you may know if you have been reading my blogs since this project started. I aim to raise as much as possible by the 9th March 2008, with half the funds going to charities that help developing countries, especially those that provide fresh drinking water and sanitation.One such Charity that does a fantastice job is called Find Your Feet. You can see their website on my homepage, this was put on free as are some other sites, simply because I want to help raise the profile of these worthwhile operations. The Charity Find Your Feet, produces a regular newsletter called 'Footprints'. In the Autumn edition it talks about Organic Farming. 'What a difference a year makes'. This time last year, Gladys Kadziwe was facing some difficult decisions. Having suffered an unsuccessful harvest, how was she going to feed her family over the coming months ?. Without the income from her harvest,would she have to sacrifice buying soap to be able to afford school books ? Between December and February every year 90% of households in Phambala, Malawi have no food left from their own farms. Living in Phambala where droughts are common and soil fertility is poor, Gladys has become used to coping with these stark challenges but they never become any easier. This year, 2007, things are different. Smiling broadly, Gladys tells how she has grown enough food to last the whole year. She has even produced a surplus to sell so that she can afford those family essentials. 'Farming Organically means I grow more food, save money and improve the fertility of the soil '.

What has made the difference ? According to Gladys it is the low cost enviromentally-friendly farming practices she has learnt from FYF partner, the Lipangwe Organic Manure Demonstration Farm (LOMADEF).  Gladys has learnt skills like composting, crop diversification, organic pesticide production, seed multiplication and agro-forestry. In an area where farmers struggle to produce enough to feed their families for more than six months, LOMADEF's agricultural techniques that boost harvests, improve nutrition and rebuild the soil are helping to transform families futures.Source'Footprints'

CO2 - Report 22 miles travel by car